White Smoke Coming out of Exhaust at Random Times

Woodie · Sat Jan 24, 2015 11:13 am

I still think it's something in the PCV system. All that oil going into your catalytic converters isn't good.

robertlstreet · Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:05 pm

At some time in the past the engine has overheated. When this happen the guides, sleeves on the valves harden then crack so that oil is then able the seep past. A costly repair and a good reason to keep your cooling system, especially the rubber parts, in a good state of repair. Your symptons will continue to worsen. Keep an eye on your oil level.

SamirD · Sun Feb 08, 2015 3:27 pm

Are you still under 36k warranty? Powertrain warranty should cover this, right?

dcp33roy · Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:49 am

The shop finally found the answer: SLUDGE. Whoever owned this car before me never took care of it, so there is massive sludge build-up in the engine. Of all the things that could have gone wrong I get the worst one. I have only had the car for about 3 months. The sludge is so bad that the whole engine needs to be replaced. Sludge is not covered under the power-train warranty.

Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:11 am

WOW! That's a real shame. Since the engine is ruined anyway why not just try flushing it first. Beats a new engine, even if it only last a while.

Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:42 am

Jesus. Where did you buy the car from?

Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:12 am

nytq wrote:WOW! That's a real shame. Since the engine is ruined anyway why not just try flushing it first. Beats a new engine, even if it only last a while.

Agreed.

Try this product: http://www.auto-rx.com/
Sounds like snake oil but it actually works and many independent tests have shown that it does. The guys in BITOG seemed to rave about it, at least 10 years ago when I was more active there. I've personally tried it twice and it quieted some valve noises in my older, high-mileage cars. However, I always took care of my cars so sludge wasn't really an issue.

Once you use Auto-RX, switch to full synthetic oil and never turn back. I highly recommend Pennzoil Ultra and Pennzoil Platinum. Synthetics slowly dissolve sludge and deposit them in the oil filter. Given you already have some serious engine issues, try Auto-RX first.

Also, many mechanics clean sludge out and don't have to replace the engine. Replacing the engine because of sludge seems to tell me something else is actually wrong and it was maybe caused by the sludge.